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Military Strength: Flag of Chile Chile vs Flag of Mexico Mexico

Mexico (ranked #38 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Chile (#39) on the ATLAS Index. Mexico fields 216,000 active troops — 2.8:1 Chile's 77,200, backed by 81,500 reserves and 120,000 paramilitary. Mexico's $17B defense budget is 3.4:1 that of Chile ($5B).

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Chile ChileWorld #39 33.1
ATLAS Index / 100

Mexico leads on 3 of 6 pillars

Flag of Mexico MexicoWorld #38 33.5
  • 44.577K active troops Manpower10 % 57.9216K active troops
  • 34.2186 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 34.90 battle tanks
  • 39.357 warships Naval power20 % 28.9133 warships
  • 33.581 combat aircraft Air power25 % 30.57 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 34.4$5B budget Defense budget15 % 46.1$17B budget
Chile Mexico Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · each conventional pillar read after its branch's availability proxy · Methodology
Key figures
Chile Mexico Ratio
Defense budget $5B $17B 🇲🇽 3.4×
– share of GDP 1.5% 0.9% 🇨🇱 1.7×
Active personnel 77,200 216,000 🇲🇽 2.8×
Combat aircraft 81 7 🇨🇱 12×
Warships 57 133 🇲🇽 2.3×
– submarines 4 0 🇨🇱
Main battle tanks 186 0 🇨🇱
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 40,000 81,500 🇲🇽 2.0×
Paramilitary forces 44,700 120,000 🇲🇽 2.7×
Military aircraft (all types) 283 466 🇲🇽 1.6×
– helicopters 90 170 🇲🇽 1.9×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $249 $127 🇨🇱 2.0×
Population 19.9M 131.9M 🇲🇽 6.6×
GDP $357B $1.8T 🇲🇽 5.1×
GDP per capita $17,995 $13,889 🇨🇱 1.3×
Land area 743,812 km² 1,943,945 km² 🇲🇽 2.6×
Coastline 6,435 km 9,330 km 🇲🇽 1.4×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇨🇱 ChileF-16 Fighting Falcon ×46Leopard 2 ×186Scorpène-class ×2
🇲🇽 MexicoF-5E Tiger II ×7Sigma-class ×1
Defense budget history Chile ×1.0 · Mexico ×2.5 since 2020
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Chile or Mexico?
Mexico has approximately 216,000 active military personnel compared to Chile's 77,200, giving Mexico a 2.8:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Chile or Mexico?
Chile operates 81 combat aircraft compared to Mexico's 7. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Chile or Mexico?
Mexico has a larger navy with 133 warships compared to Chile's 57. Chile operates 4 submarines while Mexico has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Chile or Mexico?
Mexico has a larger defense budget at $16.7 billion (3.4:1 more) compared to Chile's $5 billion annually.
Do Chile and Mexico have nuclear weapons?
Neither Chile nor Mexico currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Chile and Mexico compare?
Chile operates 186 main battle tanks compared to Mexico's 0. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.